Shoe throwing

Wedding blessings and luck

In nineteenth-century England, hurling an old shoe after a newly wedded couple was believed to bring good fortune as they set out on their honeymoon. Historical accounts describe shoes thrown after couples leaving church, a practice remembered in Victorian literature and folklore records. Some observers interpreted the act as a ceremonial passing of authority over the bride from her father to the new husband. Regional variations developed, such as in Kent, where the chief bridesmaid would fling a shoe for others to chase, with the superstition holding that whoever caught or was struck by the shoe would marry next.

Overhead wires and trees

Pairs of laced shoes hanging from power cables or telephone lines, sometimes called shoefiti, appear in both towns and countryside. A common account traces this to service members who threw brightly painted combat boots over wires as a rite of passage after finishing basic military training or leaving duty. Overhead footwear has also accumulated urban legends regarding illicit trade or neighborhood boundaries, though municipal research has found no direct connection. In some settings, footwear is tossed into branches to create decorated shoe trees, while in others it stems from schoolyard bullying.

Sports and competitive games

Folk sports around the world use shoes as projectiles thrown for distance or accuracy. A prominent example is wellie wanging, also known as boot tossing, which emerged in the West Country of England during the 1970s. The contest requires participants to fling a rubber Wellington boot as far as possible, becoming a standard fixture at British village fêtes and community charity fundraisers. Other recreational games use footwear in team relay races or as targets, challenging players to kick off their shoes and quickly retrieve them or knock down upright bottles.

Protest and cultural insult

In Arab societies and several other cultures, the bottom of a shoe is associated with dirt from the ground, making the display or throwing of footwear an expression of intense contempt. Hurling a shoe at someone communicates profound disrespect. A widely known example occurred in Baghdad in 2008, when an Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at the visiting United States president during a press conference to protest the military invasion and occupation. Similar shoe-hurling incidents have targeted public officials and notable figures worldwide.

How Shoe throwing is kept

Participants throw shoes depending on the setting. In rural games like wellie wanging, players line up to fling a boot across an open field for distance. In wedding traditions, guests or family members toss an old shoe after the departing bride and groom to wish them luck. In urban environments, tied pairs of sneakers are slung upward to catch on overhead lines or tree boughs. When used as a protest, an individual removes their footwear and hurls it directly at a target.

When and where

Shoe throwing has no fixed calendar date. Folk contests occur during seasonal village fêtes and fundraisers, wedding tosses take place as couples depart their ceremonies, and overhead tossing happens upon completing personal milestones such as finishing military training.

The practice is found in diverse settings worldwide. Boot tossing is popular across Britain, wedding throws were documented in England, overhead wire tossing is common across North American and international cities, and shoe protests have occurred in Iraq and other nations.

What Shoe throwing means

The meaning shifts entirely with context. In weddings, an old shoe represented good fortune, matrimonial prospects, and historically a transfer of family responsibility. On power wires, it can mark a completed rite of passage or local presence. In protest, displaying or throwing the sole symbolizes severe disrespect, viewing the target as unworthy due to the shoe's contact with the earth.

Questions people ask about Shoe throwing

See also

The BurrymanA man clad in burdock burrs walks a Scottish town for a day, bringing luck as he goesJack-o'-lanternA carved pumpkin lantern lit with a candle to brighten and protect Halloween nightsFriday the 13thA Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.MaximónA folk saint of the Guatemalan highlands, asked for health, crops and protection

Good reading and sources

• Love, marriage … and a barrage of shoesThe Guardian, Article
• BBC NEWS | Middle East | Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insultBBC, Article
• Love, marriage … and a barrage of shoesThe Guardian, Article
• BBC NEWS | Middle East | Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insultBBC, Article

• Shoe throwing on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.